The enthusiasm gap

[Sam Mills Fan]

If you missed what Muhsin Muhammad said on WFNZ this morning, I suggest you check it out. He said that the biggest problem the Panthers have is the lack of enthusiasm at the first sign of adversity in the second half. He talked about how amped the team always is in the first half, but when Cam or someone has a big gaffe in the second half, things spiral out of control. He brought up Cam's demeanor after the first pick and said it affected him mentally where he needs to have a short memory. Then the rest of the team sees Cam start spiraling and they know what's coming.

Very interesting. I recommend checking it out because it makes a ton of sense.

[NorthTryon]

They're a weak-minded team. Once the momentum shifts away from them, we all know what's going to happen.

[bleys]

makes a lot of sense... I got to thinking last night what has Beason been doing? we all saw him on the sidelines yesterday..

people can point the blame to Rivera, but this is where the vets and leaders need to take control. when you think about it, we don't have that guy or guys..

a la Beason, I heard a comment a while back from a player (forget where) who said when you're injured, you are out of sight/out of mind. you aren't on the field, you aren't exactly apart of the team. obviously we are missing the Beasons and guys like that out there...

[ShutDwn]

I knew they wouldn't come back because of how they looked. They didn't want it. Cam is young, and doesn't' realize how influential he is yet. He must learn to be more commanding and confident to set the team straight. It's incredible he is this far in his progression that we want him to take complete leadership control of the team he's been on for less than a year.

I like the things this team is doing, they're biggest weakness is inexperience (outside of injuries). I think Beason's role of leader is really missed. Cam will be the leader on offense, but we don't have a player to call a team over on the sideline and scream at them.

[teeray]

It is a part of being young and not having experience. I know it is hard for the fans but this thing will turn big time unless the players quit buying into the coaches. There must be patience as hard as that is for us as fans.

I am saying this now that I have cooled down, but there are 3 broken pieces of property laying around my house thanks to that meltdown Sunday.

[CatMan72]

I remember Mr. Scot mentioning that when a team goes 2-14, there are a few guys who have the "stink of losing" on them and just can't get it off... I think this ties back to what Cam was saying about guys in the locker room who have learned to accept losing.

I agree that Cam needs to watch his body language when he makes a mistake... as he goes, it goes and even as a rookie guys are looking to him for inspiration. He'll learn this as he continues to gain experience, this is the first time in his career that he's had to deal with losing week-in and week-out... it must be incredibly difficult.

[LiQuiD]

Yup, my wife pointed out just as Cam threw the first pick that his day was over and she was right on point. He just can't recover mentally at this point from a mistake. Hopefully as he matures his memory will shorten, but right now he shuts down at the first sign of adversity.

He is our future, no doubt, but he's got a long way to go still.

[CatMan72]

I knew they wouldn't come back because of how they looked. They didn't want it. Cam is young, and doesn't' realize how influential he is yet. He must learn to be more commanding and confident to set the team straight. It's incredible he is this far in his progression that we want him to take complete leadership control of the team he's been on for less than a year.

I like the things this team is doing, they're biggest weakness is inexperience (outside of injuries). I think Beason's role of leader is really missed. Cam will be the leader on offense, but we don't have a player to call a team over on the sideline and scream at them.

Yup, there's only so much you can do from the sideline - Beason is the guy in the huddle who would slap guys on the helmet, look them in the eye and get them fired up and ready to play - his injury was a HUGE blow to us this year for reasons far beyond his personal stats.

[CatMan72]

Yup, my wife pointed out just as Cam threw the first pick that his day was over and she was right on point. He just can't recover mentally at this point from a mistake. Hopefully as he matures his memory will shorten, but right now he shuts down at the first sign of adversity.

He is our future, no doubt, but he's got a long way to go still.

I guess the good news is that it shows he really cares, he has to learn not to beat up on himself when he makes a mistake.

I read that he's not taking losses as hard as he used to in the locker-room (aka Mr. Mopeyhead) he still hates to lose but he's getting better and pulling himself together and moving on, so I would assuming that picking himself up after he makes a mistake is part of this.

He's a rookie who feels the pressure of the whole franchise on his back and hasn't had to deal with much losing in his career up to this point, so it makes sense that he's having to learn how to deal with it. I have no doubt that in time, he will learn how to recover from mistakes and losses much better.

[Darth Biscuit]

Earlier in the season, Cam seemed to bounce right back from mistakes... now he seems to get more bummed about it. Maybe the season has worn on him...maybe it's losing, idk.

I think bleys has a great point, we need more guys like Beason out there, on the field, talking it up... Our main vets on offense are Smith, DWill and Gross. Smith isn't a leader like that, he just isn't... DWill seems (tell me if I'm wrong) kind of soft spoken... and Gross was on the sidelines yesterday.

[(╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻]

It's probably because (according to some) I'm a terrible, complacent fan, but despite collapses like this one I'm still excited to tune in every week. Around this time last season it was a chore to sit through the games on Sunday. The team is making improvements every week, and there will be hiccups.

And IR guys being out of sight, out of mind doesn't surprise me. Look at Indy.

[redbuddha]

Karma or the death of hope:

When Cam came to Carolina, I was happy, because the kid is a game changer, winner, and leader. I had watched him do all of this while he was in the SEC at Auburn. I had watched Auburn lose before Cam, watched Auburn win with Cam, and watched Auburn lose after Cam. I saw countless come from behind victories in the SEC. I read up all about his time in Junior College at Blinn, and I had strong hopes that he would do the same for the Panthers.

However, the one thing that troubles me as I watch the Panthers, is that I feel he is struggling carrying the burden of carrying the offense and defense. At Auburn they had a ok defense, as compared to say Alabama and LSU, they were not elite, just ok. When ever Auburn got behind, you knew Cam could lead Auburn to score, and the defense which had been questionable all day would pull out a miraculous stop to help win the game. What I am seeing know is that subconsciously Cam doesn't believe that help will arrive, so he tries to force the issue. Without those leaders on defense like Beason, the kid feels like he has no safety net. Or it could be Karma from having such a charmed season at Auburn, and this year Cam is paying the piper.

Either way, I think the kid is a winner, a potential future hall of famer, and the future of this franchise is in good hands with this kid.

You can't become great without overcoming adversity, and this year is about about as bad as you can get.

[bleys]

Earlier in the season, Cam seemed to bounce right back from mistakes... now he seems to get more bummed about it. Maybe the season has worn on him...maybe it's losing, idk.

I think bleys has a great point, we need more guys like Beason out there, on the field, talking it up... Our main vets on offense are Smith, DWill and Gross. Smith isn't a leader like that, he just isn't... DWill seems (tell me if I'm wrong) kind of soft spoken... and Gross was on the sidelines yesterday.

Cam has to be that guy on offense.. just the way it is. Beason, Gross, whoever needs to have a long discussion with Cam about how to be a leader on the sidelines and that he needs a short memory..

seems to me no one is talking to him about this.. this is a player to player issue. a coach doesn't have the same effect IMO..

[Herbert The Love Bug]

The FO and coaches are going to surround Cam, Smith Beason and everyone else with winners next year. People that don't want to win and want to mope around can leave. There has to be a lot of personnel moves made.